Meet the researchers working to solve misinformation

Over the past year, interest in misinformation research has ballooned. In order to highlight some of the people working behind the scenes, Poynter’s Daniel Funke profiled a few researchers whose work has changed Facebook’s fact-checking program, been cited in countless pieces on fake news and is developing solutions for debunking deepfake videos.

The article is part two in a three-part series from Poynter on the people behind the misinformation phenomenon. Part one profiled some of the students who are working on misinformation-related projects around the world, while part three will focus on some infamous fake news writers. Have someone you think we should know about? Email factchecknet@poynter.org.

Avaaz campaigners hold a banner in front of 100 cardboard cutouts of the Facebook founder and CEO stand outside the U.S. Capitol, before Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the Senate, in Washington on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (Kevin Wolf/AP images for AVAAZ)

A state legislator in Maine said she was “shaken” to learn of her own death from a sketchy Facebook page that looks deceptively like an official police department page. The page remains on Facebook, despite complaints.

This is fun

On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert explains why he’s doubtful that President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani “will get his facts straight.”

NPR’s “Ask Me Another” show tests two guests on their ability to spot fake news.

Supporters hold Mexican flags as they await the arrival of presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at a MORENA party rally in the Benito Juarez district of Mexico City, Monday, May 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A closer look

Bots and trolls are becoming a nuisance in the run-up to the Mexican election, The New York Times reports.

In an effort to thwart conspiracy theories and misinformation, The Globe and Mail will partner with ProPublica to monitor political advertisements during the Canadian elections; and Facebook is blocking foreign ads during the Irish elections.

Jane Elizabeth leads the American Press Institute's project to improve and expand accountability journalism. She is the Washington Post's former deputy local editor; and has taught journalism at Old Dominion University, the University of Pittsburgh and Point Park University.

Alexios Mantzarlis joined Poynter to lead the International Fact-Checking Network in September of 2015. In this capacity he writes about and advocates for fact-checking. He also trains and convenes fact-checkers around the world.